


Smell The Ashes

by Kingrey



Series: Rapunzel Appreciation Week [5]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e19 Plus Est En Vous, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, also some thoughts about the justice in corona, hurt!Eugene, no one dies but like... They deal with more of a fallout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25618306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingrey/pseuds/Kingrey
Summary: Rapunzel Appreciation Week Day Five: Life As A PrincessLet go, let go, let go Rapunzel pleaded, tears falling from her eyes, and without a conscious thought, she raised her hands towards the sky and let the power escape her grasp.Or what if, in Plus Est En Vous, Rapunzel hadn't managed to finish the incantation after bringing Cassandra back?
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: Rapunzel Appreciation Week [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849966
Comments: 14
Kudos: 69





	Smell The Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> I'm posting later each day for RAW fdhjdkd
> 
> ANOTHER rewrite of Plus Est En Vous? It's more likely than you think  
> I had a specific idea for this, and I ended up focusing on different things but idk, I still like the thought! I hope you'll like it :')

It took focus, to hold the power of the entire universe in her hands - but Rapunzel had plenty of it. Cassandra died. Cassandra died protecting the kingdom, and helping her defeat Zhan Tiri, and Rapunzel knew she had to save her, knew that their story couldn't end like this. There was still too much unsaid, too many discussions to have, too… Too… much everything.

Cassandra died, and Rapunzel had only one thought in her mind: bringing her back.

That was why, perhaps, she couldn't stop herself from looking in her best friend's direction when she heard her nickname be whispered. Rapunzel turned her head, and saw Cassandra awake, and breathing, and alive and the only thing she felt suddenly was relief. Rapunzel breathed again, and in her overwhelming feeling of joy, she forgot something.

She lost her focus on the incantation. She lost her focus on the stone.

Suddenly, that powerful energy that was gently pulsating through her body became a burning pain, starting from her hands and spreading through her skin like fire. Rapunzel tried to hold on, to find her equilibrium again, but the pain was unrelenting, as if the stone couldn't accept her as a bearer anymore. Rapunzel thought she made a noise, but the pain was too encompassing for her to know - and suddenly, all she could think about was _let go_.

_Let go, let go, let go_ she pleaded, tears falling from her eyes, and without a conscious thought, she raised her hands towards the sky and let the power escape her grasp.

The next thing she knew, she was on her knees breathing harshly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her palms buzzing with pain and, when she looked down, she could see the red and raw patch of skin left behind - they were burnt. Not too badly, but enough to hurt.

"Raps?" Cassandra repeated, and Rapunzel turned enough to see her friend standing, looking down at her worriedly.

Cassandra seemed hesitant to get closer, but Rapunzel didn't even think - she scrambled to get up and threw herself at her, nearly crying with relief. She had thought- she had thought- Cassandra had been dead. And now she was hugging her back, whispering that she was fine and Rapunzel could only squeeze tighter, eyes closed and heart still beating too fast in her chest. She had done it. She had saved her friend and… And…

When Rapunzel opened her eyes again, the only thing she could see was Eugene, still lying on the ground a few feet back.

The overwhelming relief she was feeling turned into cold dread in mere seconds. Rapunzel let her arms fall from around Cassandra, body thrumming with anxiety as she looked back towards the castle's patio. Her friends, her family, her subjects- for a moment, she had forgotten. For a moment, she had been so focused on Cassandra, and on what she was herself feeling, that she forgot how hurt everyone else was. They were all lying on the ground, stuck under Zhan Tiri's rocks and-

Rapunzel had brought Cassandra back, but she had failed her kingdom.

She wrangled back the guilt that was threatening to submerge her, because the "what if" scenarios could wait. What couldn't wait was the people she loved, being hurt and weak and in need of help. Rapunzel ran to Eugene's side, and kneeled beside him quickly, hands trembling above his head. If he wasn't okay- he had talked earlier, he had told her not to take the stone, so that must mean he was fine, right? He had to be fine, because Rapunzel could already feel herself unravelling and if he wasn't here-

Thankfully, Eugene twitched and raised his head. "Sunshine," he whispered softly, relief evident in his tone, "I'm so glad you're okay."

Rapunzel laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. His face was a mess. She had noticed it when she first saw him on the ground, but without the lighting of the eclipse, his black eye was all the more evident. She couldn't see most of his skin, hidden away by his Captain uniform, but there was already so many bruises on his face and around his neck that she couldn't even imagine what the rest of his body looked like. In comparison, most of her and Cassandra's aches had been soothed by the stone's power - but they were the only ones lucky enough to be in its radius.

Eugene groaned, and she noticed suddenly that he was trying to get up. She hesitated, not sure if she should force him to stay down or if she should try to help him, but he was already halfway up so she didn't truly have a choice in this. When her arms went around his waist, she noticed the pained moan he couldn't quite contain, and she wanted to cry all over again.

"What happened to you?" she asked instead, once he was on his knees too, leaning heavily on her.

"Let's just say that, uh, Adira packs a mean punch?" he smiled, but she couldn't find it in herself to find this funny.

He was hurt and if… If she had been more focused, if she had finished the incantation, then none of this would be happening. He would be fine, and the kingdom would be fine, and it was all her fault that they weren't.

"Hey," Eugene whispered, his gloved hand coming to brush out a tear from her eyes. "You did a good job, Rapunzel."

It was a simple sentence. He didn't even use a nickname, didn't try to imply anymore than what was said. His eyes were half-lidded from the exhaustion, but still looking at her softly, full of love and tenderness. It was a simple, honest sentence, but the words felt like a punch to her already unstable emotional state because- she didn't do a good job. She failed him, failed her friends, failed her kingdom, because she was so focused on her friend that she forgot her responsibility as a Princess. _You did a good job, Rapunzel,_ Eugene said, and Rapunzel broke down right here and now, because she was tired and there was still so much to fix. She hid her face in his neck, hot tears slipping from her eyes, and she could feel him hug her, the pressure weaker than it usually was. Eugene was hurt, and- and-

She felt him shift a little, one hand leaving her back, and before she could wonder about what he was doing, Cassandra was here behind her, hugging them both too. She was alive, and warm, when Rapunzel remembered feeling her limp body under her hands only some minutes prior. Maybe- maybe she should have done more, yes, but Cassandra was alive. Eugene was hurt, but alive. Same for the Coronans. She might have not succeeded in healing them magically but they could still _heal_ \- Cassandra wouldn't have had this possibility.

She knew Eugene had done this on purpose; had reminded her of what she had accomplished, because he knew her well enough to guess the guilt that was eating at her. Despite everything, Eugene always put her first, always made sure that she was fine - and now, it was her turn to be strong for others.

Rapunzel dried her tears, and got up, feeling both Eugene's and Cassandra's gaze on her. She surveyed her kingdom - saw how the rock prisons seemed to be fraying already without the stone to power them; saw how some people, notably members of the brotherhood, were slowly getting up by themselves - and she knew that the next part of their lives was going to be difficult. Sometimes, healing had to take more than magic, but she would be their to help her people along.

She would be the Princess they needed.

And when she looked back at Eugene and Cassandra, they were both standing, Eugene leaning a little on Cassandra for help. Most importantly, they were looking at her confidently, certain that she would make the best decisions - and the pressure she might have felt from this trust once upon a time was muffled now.

"Come on," she smiled, voice still scratchy from her previous tears, "we've still got a kingdom to save."

* * *

Fixing the damages from Zhan Tiri's takeover was hard work. Rapunzel knew, going in, that it would take time, and that she might have to maintain her optimism even when things were bleak because her kingdom was counting on her - but knowing it and doing it were two different things.

She was tired.

The decaying incantation had severely weakened a lot of people. Thankfully, they quickly understood that the further away people had been from Zhan Tiri, the less they had been affected by the spell - which meant that the Coronans who didn't participate in the battle came forward to help in the clean up.

It was… better than nothing. Rapunzel was grateful for all the help they could get.

One week later, most people that had been right in the center of the events were still confined to bed rest. They were not dying, thankfully, but their health was frail and they needed more time to recover. There were three exceptions to this: first, Adira and Hector, who didn't like the idea of being stuck in Corona, and had decided to go heal somewhere else. Rapunzel had tried to convince them to change their minds, worried, but in Adira's words, they were not meant to stay in one place for too long, and they had to clear some things up together anyway. She hoped they were fine, and she had offered them a place to stay in the castle if they ever needed one.

The last exception was Eugene, who had been powering through since day one, and had quickly resumed his activities as Captain. Rapunzel was more grateful than she could ever put into words - he had been dealing with protecting Corona, making sure that security was still tight despite the kingdom lacking more than half of its guards. He had also helped organise the medical assistance given to the citizens, and the giant infirmary Rapunzel had insisted on opening in the castle, because she wanted to make sure that everyone would have access to the help they needed. She didn't know what she would have done if Eugene hadn't been managing the logistics so well, hadn't gotten _that_ weight off her shoulders.

With her parents still bedridden, Rapunzel was effectively acting as Queen, more or less stuck with smoothing out some ruffled feathers across the continent. Some kingdoms were angry, to say the least, that Corona had nearly let an all-powerful demon destroy the world. Some tried to take advantage of their weakened position to make outrageous demands, and Rapunzel had to squash them immediately before they became too big of a problem. Between requests of new unfavourable trade deals, discussions of Corona paying for damages that they had nothing to do with and even the proposition of an alliance through a marriage, Rapunzel's headache was a well-fed, ever-growing monster.

(To be fair, the marriage proposal had made her laugh, until she understood the seriousness of the letter. Then, it was all a game of saying no without actually offending the other party.)

So, optimism was hard to maintain. Though, there _were_ positives: a lot of kingdoms had also came forward to help, and sent in medical assistance and food. Equis, especially, had been a greater help than she had dared hope for when she asked - King Trevor was still as eccentric as ever, but his fondness for her mom and his animosity towards her dad made him want them both to be okay, so they could go on with that weird dynamics of theirs. Rapunzel wasn't about to say no. Another positive was that Corona's crops were not as affected as she had first feared. Most of the damage actually focused on infrastructure, so the animals and the plants were mostly okay, as were the people who hadn't faced Zhan Tiri directly.

No one had died and, for that, Rapunzel would be eternally grateful. Her mistake was still eating at her, even though numerous people had told her she had done her best - but she knew she could have done more. She was trying to be the Princess Corona deserved, trying to be strong for everyone in their time of need, but she didn't know what she might have done if she had learnt that her letting go had resulted in someone passing away.

Things weren't too bad, overall. Stressful, yes, but she knew they could heal from this.

There was, however, one last thing that worsened her constant headache.

"Your Highness," one council member said, condescension dripping from his tone, "you can't expect us to let Miss Cassandra go without any consequences simply because she is your friend, I hope you know that?"

The room exploded in half-yelled arguments as Rapunzel pinched her nose, already exhausted. In barely a week, they had had this conversation approximately twice a day. The council was a bunch of old, wealthy men who didn't have much power at all - but in time of crisis, they suddenly appeared to give their opinions on everything. Rapunzel actually quite liked the idea of a council, and hadn't seen anything wrong with them helping her deal with the fallout of Zhan Tiri, but it quickly became clear that these men knew nothing about the hardships Coronans faced. It needed a serious reform, if she ever hoped it could be of any help, but now was not the time for it, and so, she was stuck with dealing with them for the time being.

"And I hope you know," Rapunzel said lowly, commanding silence across the room, "esteemed council-member, that I do not take dearly in being accused of playing favourites."

"The people need someone to blame-"

"The people are smarter than that," she glared in his direction, "and if it is truly a need, then you'll find in the ancient _demon_ Zhan Tiri the perfect subject of your ire."

"But still-"

"Enough." She hadn't yelled, but in that moment, no one would have dared going against her. Raising herself up on her chair, she exuded confidence and royalty. "We had this conversation already, but let me make it clear one last time: I will not send Cassandra to prison. We have punished criminals before, and it only served to push them further down on their paths, making them bitter and resentful."

Her tone was still even but the images of Varian flashing through her mind nearly made her waver - she took a deep breath, and kept talking.

"Cassandra showed that she was ready to give up everything for this kingdom," she explained, tightening her still bandaged fists under the table. "I need- _We_ need to encourage her in this direction, and we also need everyone that faces our justice to know that redemption is worth it. That, if they strive to do better, they will find a helping hand in our kingdom, and not a punishing stick. As your Princess, and your future Queen, I know that this is the only possible direction Corona can take to better its juridical system."

For the first time since she met them, none of the men of the council had anything to answer to that. In her heart, she wanted to keep going, and tell them how Cassandra had died for them; how she had then helped gather the wounded with her, how she had tried to make amends with those she wronged, how she was still helping rebuild and making herself useful. Rapunzel wanted to defend her best friend, because she was persuaded that Cassandra didn't deserve the anger of the council - but _Princess_ Rapunzel knew that her personal reasons were not of interest here. She couldn't think about it in terms of what _Cassandra_ deserved, but in terms of what any Coronans, and even foreign criminals would deserve if they had committed the same crimes.

She didn't want to be the leader of a country where someone could be hanged for stealing, and she had spent more than enough time accepting the situation as is.

And the more she had thought of it, since they vanquished Zhan Tiri, the more she was sure that there were other people - people like Lady Cain, the Saporians, or even the Stabbingtons - that she had wronged by not giving them the chance they deserved. She didn't know if she would ever find the solution for all of these problems, but the first step was to try.

"Thus, Cassandra will not be going to jail, and I will not accept another argument about it," Rapunzel finally sighed. "I think that it's enough for today's session anyway," she said and, soon, the councilmen were going their own way, whispering frantically between themselves.

Once she was alone, Rapunzel stretched tiredly, realising that it would soon be lunch and that she hadn't even gone to town to survey the reconstruction like she did everyday. Being a Princess meant that she had to deal with plenty of debates, and plenty of bureaucratic arguments, but she refused to stay confined to the castle all day. She wanted Coronans to see that she was here for them and, by going to see with her own eyes the state of things, she knew she was forcing the most unprincipled people to do the best work they could. She wouldn't stand for houses to be badly fixed because some people wanted to make money out of others' misery.

"Uh, Princ- I mean, your Highness?" a shy voice said, interrupting her thoughts. She turned and saw that it was a young guard, probably a little inexperienced with his current position since Eugene had to shift things around so the castle's security was assured.

"Yes?" she answered as gently as she could, because she knew her current bad mood was no reason to spook a well-meaning guard.

"I- uhm, I didn't want to barge in earlier, so I waited because… Well, uh, I'm here because… TheCaptainmighthavepassedout?" he blurted out, voice high and incomprehensible.

"I'm sorry what?" Rapunzel blinked.

"The Captain has, uh, passed out earlier-"

" _Where is he?_ " she interrupted, her heart already beating too fast.

"Your bedroom, but, your Highness-"

Rapunzel didn't hear what he had to say, because she was already rushing through the castle. Her bedroom was so faraway, and Eugene had _passed out_ \- she knew he was pushing himself too hard, she should have known it would happen but _no_ , she was so grateful for his help that she didn't even stop to _think_. What a good Princess she made, she thought bitterly, when she wasn't even able to make sure the love of her life got rest. Eugene had been right with everyone when Zhan Tiri used the decay incantation, and she knew that, even before this, he got kicked around by the mind controlled brotherhood. And yet, she had let him ignore his health - had let herself ignore his health. Rushing up the stairs, Rapunzel was cursing herself out for believing everything was fine with him, because what if- what if-

When she barged into her bedroom, she startled both a -thankfully- awake Eugene and his doctor, in the middle of what seemed to be an argument. Eugene was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking ready to get up any seconds, and the doctor seemed about to try and push him back.

Eugene was also shirtless, and the bruises littering his skin felt like they took the breath away from Rapunzel. She had seen them already, but Eugene had made sure that it was always in the middle of the night, where the darkness on his skin blended with the room quite easily.

"Princess!" the doctor exclaimed, once he regained his composure. "Please tell the Captain that he can't get up again."

"Sunshine," Eugene said, annoyance clear for everyone to see as he threw a death glare at the other man, "please tell the doctor that not only am I fine, but I also have a lot of work to do and I've already lost enough time as it is."

He glanced her way when she didn't answer, obviously looking for support, and she saw how his eyebrows immediately creased with concern at her appearance. She was still breathing heavily, one of her bandaged hand holding the other near her chest, and she knew her hair had been mussed up from the run here. She was a mess, and he- Eugene thought-

"Doctor," she said, ignoring Eugene for the time being, "what is wrong with Eugene?"

"Oh," he smiled awkwardly, pushing his glasses back, "well, the most concerning thing is that the Captain is running a fever-"

"-a _low_ fever-"

"-that still made him pass out, so I'd say it's high enough," the doctor answered loudly, making Eugene frown. "He's also been ignoring my advice to rest. It's not as much of an advice as it is an order, considering that the effects of the incantation, his cracked ribs and the numerous hits his body sustained _all_ need time before he can be recovered. Running around-"

"-helping people!"

" _Even_ if it's to help, this is putting too much strain on your body, Captain," the doctor insisted, fully turned back towards Eugene. "The fever and the fainting spells are signs your body is sending to tell you that you need rest, if I were you, I would listen to them."

"I'm fine," Eugene laughed.

"For now. But your fever is already concerning enough, and if you don't rest now, your body will force you to."

"Come on-"

"Eugene," Rapunzel whispered, but it was enough to silence both of them. She had heard enough. She was still looking at him, at his torso covered in deep purple bruises and yellowing ones, at his still half-closed eyes and at the blush on his cheeks that she knew now was from a fever and - she knew it was enough. "Thank you, doctor," she said simply, "I'll take care of him now."

The dismissal couldn't be more obvious and, since seeing the Princess in anything but a good mood was enough to freak out every Coronans that knew her, the doctor didn't wait around more. Soon, it was only her and Eugene, both looking at the other silently. He opened his mouth, trying to come up with an explanation, or an excuse, or anything but, before he could talk, she walked in front of him and put her hand on his forehead.

He was burning up.

"Low fever, yeah right," she muttered. "How long have you been running it?"

"I- what do you mean?" Eugene grinned, before sighing under her gaze. "Two days, but it's nothing!"

"Noth-" Rapunzel stopped herself, taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She was stressed. She knew she was still annoyed by the meeting, and that trying to get everything back to normal these last few days had been exhausting, but Eugene didn't deserve to get yelled at because of it. He was only trying to help her, but he still hadn't understood that she couldn't- it wouldn't help her if he was sick. It wouldn't help her to worry about him every minutes she wasn't at his side, wondering if her mistake cost him his life _again_.

"Oh Sunshine no, I'm sorry," Eugene breathed, and Rapunzel realised that she was crying, holding on tightly to his shoulders as she blinked quickly. She didn't mean for her tears to fall, but it was all too much, and Eugene had passed out - he had been _unconscious_ , because of a fever he was ignoring to be there for her, and all of this wouldn't have happened if only she had _focused_ for a moment longer.

"I can't do this alone," she exhaled through her tears, lowering her head until it was resting on Eugene's. "This- This is so hard, and I'm trying to be strong but I _can't_ -"

"You won't be alone," Eugene assured, pushing her hair away as helped her in his lap. "You'll have me, and your family, and all your friends-"

"But today, most of them are hurt, and I still have to be the Princess Corona needs."

"And you're doing wonderfully!" he exclaimed, and she lifted her head only to see the brilliant smile he was shooting her way. "I know it all feels like too much, but in barely a week, you've given everyone hope, and purpose, and- you're incredible, Sunshine. You _are_ the Princess Corona needs."

He looked so convinced that Rapunzel had to chuckle tiredly. "Then, if I'm able to do such good work by myself, will you rest?"

Eugene grimaced, but she saw immediately that he wasn’t going to protest. He had backed himself into a corner. Which meant that she gently managed to force him into lying down fully on the bed, because "rest" was starting now. Once he was under the cover, she hesitated for a moment, before deciding that her trip in town could wait until the afternoon, and that she could sit at his side for the time being.

"I need to tell Henry that he has to act as Captain," Eugene thought aloud, shifting a little.

"I'll do it," she shushed him, "resting implies not thinking about work."

Eugene pouted, but Rapunzel started to stroke his hair and he didn't feel like being annoyed after that. Slowly, she twirled the strands with her fingers, knowing that these motions never failed to sooth him. That, his fever and his obvious exhaustion quickly got the better of him. One moment he was mumbling something incoherently, eyes nearly closed, and the next, he was snoring softly, finally looking peaceful and relaxed.

Rapunzel kept her hand in his hair anyway, looking down at him fondly. She had visited her parents and her hurt friends multiple times since everything had happened, and none of them had seemed able do more than one activity a day before falling back asleep. Adira and Hector had been exceptions, but Eugene had never even stopped moving since he got up that first time.

He was an idiot, and she was a little peeved that he would play with his health like this but… She loved him, for always being willing to go beyond everything for her.

She knew the life of a Princess wasn't easy, and that of a Queen even less so, but as long as she had Eugene at her side, she knew she would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so since the combined power of the stones was supposed to kill Rapunzel in Destinies Collide, why can she use it just fine in the finale?? At first I was like "rewrite where she doesn't manage to use it at all" but I'm too much of a baby to kill Cassandra so here ghfjkd
> 
> ALSO THAT WAY I CAN DEAL WITH EUGENE'S INJURIES IN THE FINALE!! yes i may have started writing for that (but i kinda lost my point then found it again) I kinda wanted to think about Rapunzel's role as a Princess when there was a crisis so here it is
> 
> Anyway! I hope you enjoyed yet another finale rewrite by me lmao


End file.
